Christmas in Seoul is magical. Every year it seems like the city embraces the festive warmth of the season just a little bit more. The subway stations, streets and malls are all decked out in glittering lights, fully decorated trees and all sorts of grand displays. I think it’s safe to say that we could all use a bit of extra holiday cheer this year, I know I could. So, since this year has included an absurdly large amount of time confined to our house, I decided to bring some of that Christmas cheer home. After living in Korea for over a decade, the hubby and I finally decided to put up a tree!
There are quite a few popular and easily accessible places to buy Christmas decorations from like Daiso, ArtBox, Flying Tiger and, of course, home deco stores like Modern House, H&M Home and Zara Home. The real crown jewel, however, would have to be the 3rd floor of the Express Bus Terminal (고속터미널). If you want to feel all the magic of Christmas in one place, this is it!
Nothing warms the holiday season like Christmas markets. That’s why we have our always-updating list of Christmas Markets in Seoul, so check it out and get your yearly quota of mulled wine.
While one half of the floor is reserved for the flower market, the other half is apparently reserved for Santa and his elves. There are aisles and aisles of twinkling stringed lights, boxes of colorful bulb ornaments and decked out Christmas trees in every size and theme. It really is a kind of one stop shop kind of place. I was really impresses with, not only the quality of the items, but also the affordable pricing. While this isn’t a haggling kind of place, things are cheaper if you pay in cash.
I was so overwhelmed by all the choices, but having a theme in mind definitely helped. I wanted to create a homey warm red and green tree with white and light gold accents and they had everything we needed to make it happen. We bought a beautiful box of glass hand painted ornaments (₩22,000), a box of plastic glitter ornaments (₩5,000), two red berry garlands (₩12,000) and two bundles of cotton (₩2,000).
Other than the basic necessities, I couldn’t help bringing home a few of the beautiful individual ornaments like a golden reindeer (₩1,100) and a glittery present (₩2,000). One of my favorites was a hand painted stained glass ornament with a dove on top (₩7,500). We also got a cute wooden carved ornamental house with LED lights inside (₩3,000). And of course, a Christmas tree wouldn’t be complete without a glittery star topper (₩4,800).
Aside from the endless ornament selection, one thing we found that was pretty unique was that they literally make the Christmas trees there to buy. They were available in every size, style and price range. There were even trees with lights installed directly into them. I wish we had known that, before purchasing ours online, but it’s something to keep in mind the next time we want to upgrade our tree.
Overall it was a very successful trip. We got everything we needed and honestly it was just nice to be immersed in all that holiday magic. It just makes you feel happy. So if you’re looking to add a bit of Christmas magic to your home, or just want something fun and festive to check out, be sure to drop by the Express Bus Terminal.
Thanks for the info! I’m only here for another year after being away from home for 6. I’m looking for quality ornaments, I’ve seen TONS of what’s in your pictures in the underground between Banpo + Gangnam stations but I’ll have to check this out. Happy holidays!
Hello from Puerto Rico! Where can I buy Christmas lights in South Korea?
Hi ! How can I order Christmas tree and ornaments from Korea? I’m in USA. Thank you.
If you have any specific ornaments or styles you’re looking for, we might be able to point you in the right direction.